


Tinted Sunshine

by keylimefloat



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Elemental Magic, M/M, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-13 14:27:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29403366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keylimefloat/pseuds/keylimefloat
Summary: Jeno craves warmth. In the form of light touches and sunshine radiance, drizzled with sweet whispers and a mesmerizing song.Warmth stands steps away from Jeno, in the form of Donghyuck. The first signs of dawn appear, and Jeno throws the blanket over his head, afraid of the light he yearns for.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Lee Jeno
Comments: 1
Kudos: 23
Collections: Love Dream 2020





	Tinted Sunshine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nclgbt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nclgbt/gifts).



> hey an~ I hope you enjoy this nohyuck! I had a lot of fun writing this, and I hope you have as much reading this. happy valentine's day <3
> 
> although I previously didn't imagine myself writing something like this, your prompt really captured my heart, and that changed my mind. thank you, truly, for providing such a wonderful idea I can write
> 
> and thank you to the admins for hosting love, dream; it was a joy working with you

Jeno craves warmth. In the form of light touches and sunshine radiance, drizzled with sweet whispers and a mesmerizing song.

Warmth stands steps away from Jeno, in the form of Donghyuck. The first signs of dawn appear, and Jeno throws the blanket over his head, afraid of the light he yearns for.

Donghyuck’s arms dangle over the porch railing, head leaning back as the morning seeps in with glowing rays.

Jeno thinks of their first encounter, when Donghyuck was just as beautiful.

—

The first time Jeno meets Donghyuck, he becomes enamoured.

Hours and hours of wandering brings Jeno to a windy road littered with brown and red leaves. He stops in his track, neck swiveling around while trying to decipher his location.

He’s lost.

 _Keep walking_ , Doyoung had told him. He followed suit, only to find the opposite of the bustling community Doyoung spoke of. He had landed himself in a quiet forest, so empty even his acute hearing could not pick up on any signs of living nearby.

 _Keep walking_. Doyoung’s voice rings in his head again, loud and clear. He sighs in defeat and treads down the path, shoes scraping against the pebbled path, senses on high alert for fear of impending danger.

Jeno’s trek down the lone path remains peaceful, only disrupted when he reaches the end and nears the faint hollers and cheers. Shops and residential buildings emerge, and the mist clears for Jeno.

Despite how dark the night sky makes the town, the place is much more populated than Jeno expects it to be. Vampires mingle with elementals, from the ones who regulate water flow to those who tend to nature. It feels wrong. It _looks_ wrong. Life and death together, without causing a wave of damage or finger pointing. He finds it bizarre.

As he walks the streets, he turns to shoot slight smiles at each person who makes eye contact with him, only to receive glares his way. Every single time. Unlike the ones who greeted him in the halls of Doyoung’s manor, friendly and patient, a stark contrast from the figures who now walk in swift steps through the street, despite the warm and cozy feeling of the town.

Jeno averts his eyes to the floor, now feeling conscious of the stares. No one except him stands alone. He suddenly feels small, lost in such a friendly looking area, unwelcome in such a scene.

Maybe he should have paid more attention to Doyoung’s words, when he was warned of he dangers of the underworld and the true colors of the beings he’d never interacted with prior to stepping out. Alone.

Jeno walks and walks, until it feels like he’s walking in loops. The buildings start to look the same, each roof and door blending together in a bleak palette of clay and mud.

An explosion makes Jeno look up. A loneful cheer, followed by a more enthusiastic one, and a wave of them rushes into his ears.

The vampires start walking with more speed, dispersing and disappearing into the narrow alleyways Jeno is only noticing now. He follows, fearing solidarity out in the world of unknown. At least a fellow vampire, even if not friendly, would probably know of Doyoung. The Doyoung.

The confined spaces bring him face to face with a vampire, one that towers over him with a slight _smile_ plastered on his face.

Jeno bows.

“How may I help you?”

Jeno looks behind him to check the man in front of him isn’t talking to someone else. When he turns back, he opens his mouth then closes it, afraid of tarnishing Doyoung’s reputation, even if the one standing in front of him doesn’t know about _Jeno_. “I’m lost.”

“Never been here before?”

Jeno shakes his head. “Doyoung never let me,” he mumbles, “not until today.”

“Ah, Doyoung! He is a lovely gentleman. He should have told me a little fledgling of his was coming to town. I would have volunteered to help right away.”

“I’m not—I’m not exactly _his_ fledgling. We’ve just known each other for quite a while.”

“Oh! I apologize for that. Anyway, I would offer to show you around, but sunrise is coming around. My name is Johnny, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you.” Jeno gives a slight nod. He is too afraid of strangers to be sticking his hand out for a handshake, and Doyoung never encouraged it, despite Jeno having seen handshakes everywhere.

Johnny shakes his head and sighs. “Donghyuck is such a menace, attracting so much attention at such a time of day. No wonder the other vampires are so bothered by his presence.”

“Donghyuck?”

“Oh dear, have you never heard of him?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Sunshine boy. Doyoung must have told you about him at some point, no?”

Oh, Jeno understands now. The one Doyoung had warned him about. Before leaving the manor, Doyoung was intent on lecturing him about the rules of the Underworld. He told Jeno to never stick go near elementals, even if they were friendly. He warned of the frightening and threatening community behind the sunshine smiles and courteous gazes. Most importantly, he instructed Jeno to stay away from the boy of the sun, the one who gained his power from the very thing that led to the downfall of vampires.

“I … know of him,” Jeno finally says aloud, hoping the words he has settled on are neutral enough.

Johnny raises an eyebrow. “Did Doyoung say much about him?”

“No, not much. Although he didn’t sound very happy talking about him.”

Johnny chuckles along. “Doyoung has never been fond of Donghyuck. He has his reasons, but you can maybe get to know Donghyuck from another perspective.”

“Another perspective?” Johnny’s words pique Jeno’s interest, but Jeno isn’t sure if Doyoung will be happy to hear about his first adventure out into the Underworld.

“No need to tell him where you have been. Just say the scene was not to your liking. I am sure Doyoung would not mind.”

Jeno blinks. Was the worry written all over his face, or was he just that predictable, even to a stranger? “Alright.” He decides going against Doyoung’s words once is not the end of the world, even if this is his first time out alone.

“Let us hope Donghyuck is done by now. He rarely accepts company at such an hour, but hopefully he can make an exception for us today.”

“Thank you,” Jeno whispers.

“Why, of course. Doyoung is a good friend of mine. You will be in good care, I promise.”

Jeno nods and follows Johnny, their trail following walls and walls, never stepping out into the open. They pick up their pace, becoming more wary and wary of the sunshine making its way. Even Johnny, who seems composed, walks with urgency, and even his knocks on the door when they finally halt are hurried, desperate.

“Donghyuck! Donghyuck, open the door. I brought a visitor.”

“I’m not taking any visitors,” the voice behind the door shouts. “I’m busy.”

“Busy with what? Just come to the door and take a look, will you?”

“No.”

“Do you really want two vampires to die on your porch?” Jeno stares at Johnny in shock, appalled Johnny would ever say such words. Johnny looks back, and after seconds of examining Jeno’s expression, leans in and whispers, “Worry not, fledgling. He will come to his senses right away.”

“Fine, I’m coming!”

Johnny turns to Jeno and shoots him a wink. “I told you.”

A male slightly shorter than Jeno opens the door, annoyance flashing across his face, a frown pulling at the edge of his lips. Then a look of confusion. And finally a smile. He clears his throat and flings the door open. “Welcome.”

“Hi,” Jeno squeaks, eyes still on the male, no, Donghyuck. This must be Donghyuck.

“Well, aren’t you two coming in?”

Johnny puts a hand on Jeno’s back and nudges him forward. “Donghyuck is a safe boy.”

“I’m not a _boy_ ,” Donghyuck whines. “Stop saying that.”

“If you say so.” Johnny laughs as Donghyuck switches between glaring at him and greeting Jeno into the house with a softer tone.

Once Jeno steps in, the air becomes much warmer. Do sunlight elementals like being in warmer temperatures, or do they just radiate warmth?

“Is it too warm?” Donghyuck asks.

“A little,” Jeno mumbles. He doesn’t want to be rude to someone who is inviting him into his house, but he can’t help but be uncomfortable with the temperature.

“Sorry about that. It’ll go away … soon.”

“Soon,” Jeno echoes. “Thank you.”

“Of course, make yourself at home.”

At home? Jeno looks to Johnny for help, who just shrugs. His gaze lands on a rather open area, and ends up seating himself at the edge of a chair next to a wooden table.

Although Jeno had expected Donghyuck to host, he ends up being seated in the same place for hours.

First, it’s Donghyuck offering him food, then realizing vampires don’t _eat_. He opts for devouring his meal in front of Jeno’s face at the table, and Jeno tries his best to not stare, eyes wandering around every so often to observe Donghyuck’s residence.

Next, it’s Johnny popping up out of nowhere after disappearing to who knows where. He sits across from Jeno, and launches a lengthy conversation in an attempt to get Jeno to talk more. What he ends up getting is Jeno making polite nods and smiles, with few words coming out of his mouth, but instead of being discouraged, Johnny starts talking more. About Doyoung and their precious friendship, which Jeno can’t really bring himself to care much about, even if he does love Doyoung with all his heart. His only takeaway is a reminder to ask Doyoung about Johnny, who he has never heard of. Donghyuck, during that time, is preoccupied with other matters, which Jeno thinks is lucky of him. Johnny is joyful, but talkative.

Then, it’s Donghyuck grilling answers out of Jeno with a big grin on his face. What starts off as an exchange of soft smiles turns into an ongoing chorus of laughters, and Jeno cannot help but laugh along when Donghyuck does so. He marvels at the way Donghyuck’s eyes light up, catching even the fidgeting of his fingers. It’s cute, Jeno decides.

When Donghyuck finally finishes and hops off, Johnny returns with a mug in his hand. “How are you doing now?”

“A little tired, to be honest. He talks a lot.” Johnny laughs. “But he’s good company!” Jeno adds, after realizing his words didn’t sound friendly in the slightest.

“He is, indeed. He always has been.”

“Well, um, I guess I should go back now. Doyoung must be worried.” Jeno shoots up from his seat, waist hitting the edge of the table. He winces.

“Ah right. I can accompany you back? I live quite close.”

“Sure.”

A crash and the tumbling of books down the staircase has Jeno flinching back, almost tripping over the chair beside him.

“Leaving already?” Donghyuck’s shouts echo through the room, and in no time, he lands in front of Jeno. “It’s still early.”

“I, uh—”

“He can always come back another time, Donghyuck,” Johnny interjects, “but he must return home now.”

Donghyuck looks at Johnny, then at Jeno, then back again. “Another—Right! You will come back again, right?”

Will he? Is this worth the gamble, or the wrath of Doyoung? Can he see himself dropping by often, or even once more?

“Of course.” Jeno smiles, gives the widest and most genuine one he can.

—

Jeno keeps his promise.


End file.
